Press Releases

Editorial: Gov. John Kasich, state legislature team up against harmful algal blooms

The void of meaningful legislation in the wake of the Toledo water crisis six months ago was unconscionable, but finally - with Ohio Gov. John Kasich setting the tone - the legislature is fast-tracking initiatives to protect and improve water quality in Lake Erie.

Manure and chemical fertilizers are believed to have been major catalysts in the toxic algal blooms that left nearly 500,000 residents of the western basin of Lake Erie without drinking water for three days last August.

In his 2016-17 proposed budget introduced this month, Kasich advocates prohibiting the application of manure or fertilizer to frozen, snow-covered or rain-saturated ground.

The Ohio Senate has written that prohibition into a proposed law, Senate Bill 1. The "Clean Lake Erie" bill surfed through the state Senate on a bipartisan wave of unanimity - passing 32-0 on Wednesday.